I am writing from Pretoria South Africa. My daughter recently attended her first show jumping event. Her horse boxed without major problems and also traveled well. At the event this well behaved, sweet horse, turned into a very nervous rearing animal. We could not control her and needless to say my daughter could not compete. According to her riding instructor, whom we purchased the horse from, she came of the track two years ago after being pushed very hard. She said that the P.A. system, bells, noise and other horses reminded her of her racing days and together with the stress of traveling caused her behavior. We did manage to calm her later the day. I am now prepared to travel with her the previous day and to stable her overnight, to minimize her stress level on the day of the event. The instructor however is of the opinion that stabling her in an unknown environment would heighten her stress and could bring on a bout of colic.

Can you please give me advise how to approach this problem?

Kind regards,
Willem Malan

From the information you have given, I would tend to agree with the instructor. The horse traveled well so the problem looks to be in the environment of the show.

I would suggest that you start with a very small, quiet show setting and work up. You might want to think about taking the horse to some of the events with the intention that your daughter isn’t going to compete and that you will leave if the horse gets upset. Just get the horse used to the environment on a gradual basis. If you can get her to relax at a smaller show and gradually build up you might be able to gain her confidence. A horse’s instincts for survival are very strong and it sounds like your daughter’s horse feels very threatened.

In my limited experience, I would think that this horse might not be comfortable in a show/event situation for a long time. If your daughter is anxious to do some showing maybe the instructor knows someone who would allow your daughter to ride their horse in the shows while her horse is getting used to going. Here in the USA some people will lease a horse to a youngster for that very purpose. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Trail Riding Sweetheart